Highlighting Youth in Federal Apprenticeship Investments

By

Morgan Polk

In July, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awarded $244 million through two major grant programs to modernize, diversify, and expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) to new and growing industries in 32 states.

These investments build on a strong foundation. Since 2022, U.S. DOL has dedicated a total of $730 million in grants to expand and enhance Registered Apprenticeships. This latest funding wave emphasizes industry diversity and seeks to create pathways for traditionally underrepresented populations, including youth and young adults.

Apprenticeship has historically been white and male. Because Registered Apprenticeship is uniquely equipped to help low-income workers gain the necessary skills to secure jobs with higher wages, the Biden-Harris administration has made an effort to increase access to apprenticeships for underserved populations, including youth. This is especially important because young people need access to high-quality work-based learning, such as apprenticeships, where they can gain relevant work experience and a postsecondary credential simultaneously. And these investments will expand apprenticeship opportunities to ensure young people earn the credentials and work experiences they will need to secure good jobs in future.

Overview of the Grants

A significant portion of the funding, $195 million, is being distributed through the Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) initiative. This second round of ABA funding supports public-private partnerships to "expand the use of Registered Apprenticeships across in-demand fields, such as K-12 education, clean energy, IT and cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, the care economy, and public sector occupations." Over $30 million of this funding is specifically aimed at serving youth and/or young adults, with an additional $80 million targeting initiatives that include youth and young adults among additional historically underserved populations, from women to justice-involved to workers with disabilities.

These grants are part of a larger effort to diversify who has the opportunity to apprentice, while at the same time expanding apprenticeship to new industries.

The remaining funds are being dispersed through State Apprenticeship Expansion (SAE) grants-both base formula and competitive funding. This investment is intended to advance apprenticeships in K-12 education, transportation, clean energy, supply chain, hospitality, care economy, and the jobs that are and will become available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act.

Snapshot of Awards

The type of work these investments will support is exciting and worthy of exploring here. Below are a few compelling youth and young adult awards (but this is by no means a complete picture of the breadth of innovation happening across the country).

North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) - ABANCBCE, a nonprofit intermediary based in Raleigh, North Carolina, applied for and received $4 million for their project under the grant category "Ensuring Equitable Apprenticeship Pathways and Partnerships Through Pre-Apprenticeship Leading to RAP Enrollment." The project, titled "NC Career Launch," will serve 1,000 high school students, targeting those from rural and Justice 40 communities as well as students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Developmental Disabilities. According to the abstract, "NC Career Launch will create a statewide youth apprenticeship (YA) system to develop and scale registered youth pre-apprenticeship programs for high school students that lead to RAPs in critical sectors, providing a seamless pathway to post-secondary education and a career with family sustaining wages." Pathways into industries like the following will be developed, piloted, and scaled: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, early childhood education (ECE), healthcare, and IT/cybersecurity.With a combination of classroom instruction via Career and Technical Education (CTE) or dual enrollment and on-the-job training and work-based learning, students will receive industry-recognized credentials. During the program, students will have access to wraparound services like transportation, books, uniforms, testing fees, etc. to address barriers to participation. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Developmental Disabilities will receive additional support through NC Vocational Rehabilitation. After their initial WBL experience, students have options to continue their education. The NC Apprenticeship Tuition Waiver allows students to complete their community college degree alongside their RAP at no cost. And all pathways developed as part of the NC Career Launch will have articulation agreements to Associate's Degrees at community colleges and Bachelor's Degrees at UNC system schools.CareerWise Colorado - ABACareerWise Colorado, a community-based organization and workforce intermediary in Denver, Colorado, applied for and received $4 million for the "Creation of Education System-aligned Pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship Programs." The project, titled "Pathways Project: Bridging Education and Employment through Apprenticeships," will enroll nearly 300 in-school youth in RAPs over the next 4 years. The program will "grow existing youth PA to RAP pathways in banking/finance and advanced manufacturing and will develop new PA to RAP pathways in teacher licensure and pre-nursing pathways."IL Foundation of SkillsUSA VICA (Youth Workforce Development Foundation) - ABAThe Youth Workforce Development Foundation, an intermediary based in Illinois, applied for and received nearly $8 million under the "Registered Apprenticeship Hubs" grant category for a project titled "Workforce Ecosystem along the Heavy Equipment Supply Chain: A National Hub for Youth-Focused Registered Apprenticeships." The purpose is to establish a national hub for youth-focused Registered Apprenticeships along the heavy equipment supply chain, a sector prioritized by U.S. DOL. Over the life of the grant, 2,200 youth will be served. Underrepresented youth populations are targeted to make up 60 percent of pre-apprentices and 45 percent of Registered Apprentices. And of those individuals, at least 10 percent of pre-apprentices and seven percent of Registered Apprentices are targeted to be youth with disabilities.The project has two main goals. The first, to "Build a network of industry and stakeholder partners to address workforce shortages in the heavy equipment supply chain sector," will include activities like industry engagement, promotion, partnership-building, and policy / system alignment. The second, to "Develop DEIA-focused diesel and heavy equipment career pathways, spanning from: H.S. to youth-focused pre-apprenticeship to youth-focused RAP to permanent hire in a quality job," will include outreach targeting underrepresented youth, career awareness days, youth-focused pre-apprenticeship and RAP development, underrepresented youth engagement services, exam preparation for credentialing, and career development support.Mississippi Department of Employment Services (MDES) - SAEThe MDES Office of Apprenticeship and Mississippi Apprenticeship Program (MAP) were awarded $576,833 in base formula funding to serve in-school K-12 youth and opportunity youth out of school. The industries targeted with this investment include: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, forestry, energy, health care, data centers, IT, and shipbuilding. The money will be spent on things like system alignment strategy to expand RAPs, CTE and pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeship partner development.

It will be interesting to see this vital work continue on the ground as these investments are utilized. According to research from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, just 36 percent of jobs available to those with only a high school diploma will be considered good (which the researchers define as paying at least $43,000 for workers ages 25-44 and at least $55,000 for workers ages 45-64) by 2031, compared to 52 percent of middle-skill jobs requiring a certification or credential, and 79 percent for those with a bachelor's degree.

Research from Child Trends and Brookings delineates the need for "more and better options for young people" to reach financial security as they transition into adulthood. Given only 1 in 5 ninth graders earn a bachelor's degree four years after graduating high school, the importance of building and scaling high-quality pathways to good jobs and education through apprenticeship programs, such as those funded through these grants, cannot be overstated.

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